Gabriel's Mate

by Tina Folsom

A scream left her throat.

  Paulette!

  She hung there, on the back of the door, her limp body bloodied, her pajamas shredded by claws. No heartbeat—Maya would have heard it from where she stood. She was gone. Long gone.

  Twenty-one

  “I couldn’t reach Thomas,” Yvette said as she flipped her cell phone shut and looked at Gabriel, who was driving while dialing a number on his own cell phone.

  Gabriel listened to the recording on the other line and cursed. “Zane’s not answering either.”

  “We’re almost there,” Yvette tried to calm him.

  He gave her a sideways glance. At least now that the air had been cleared between them, Yvette was a hundred percent behind him. And he needed all the help he could get. Maya was out there on her own—and so was the rogue. The bastard would find her and Gabriel would lose her forever. He couldn’t allow it. He needed to protect her.

  “Zane. Maya’s gone. Search for her. This is first priority.” Gabriel flipped the cell shut.

  Moments later, he pulled up in front of Maya’s apartment and jumped out of the car. He ran up the stairs, Yvette close behind him.

  The door was locked, but Gabriel didn’t care. With barely any effort, he kicked against the lock, and the wood splintered. He jerked the door open and ran upstairs.

  At Maya’s apartment, he did the same thing—if she was there, she wouldn’t respond to a polite knock anyway. She was too pissed at him. For now, he didn’t care. All he needed was to get her back to the house where she would be safe. Then he’d explain things to her.

  How could she have possibly thought he was getting head from the witch? Sure, the situation had looked a little odd, but had she only waited, she would have realized that there was nothing sexual about any of it. The witch had merely examined him like a doctor would a patient and then tried a little herbal concoction on him to test how the damn thing reacted.

  Of course, the useless piece of flesh hadn’t reacted to anything at all until—Gabriel stopped in his tracks and let the realization sink in. His additional piece of flesh had stirred the moment Maya had entered the room. And when she’d run out on him, it had faltered again and shrunken back to its original state. The witch had given him an odd look, now that he thought of it, but he’d been too panicked about Maya’s misinterpretation of the situation to give it much consideration until now. Now he was wondering if—

  “Are we going in?” Yvette asked behind him.

  Gabriel pushed aside his thoughts about the deformity and stepped inside the apartment. He sniffed, trying to ascertain if Maya had been here. His gaze swept through the place. It still looked the way they’d left it only two nights earlier. Nothing had changed. And there was no fresh scent of Maya. She hadn’t been here.

  “Where else would she go?” Gabriel asked and ran his hands through his hair.

  Yvette opened her mouth, but then her cell phone rang. She picked it up. “Thomas? Did you get my message?”

  Gabriel could hear Thomas’ reply. “Yes, the GPS on Samson’s Audi shows me she’s in my area. Wait … She’s moving. Heading northwest.”

  “Where to?” Gabriel ground out.

  Yvette lifted her hand and listened to Thomas. “Where—”

  “I heard him. I think she’s going to Parnassus.”

  “Parnassus?” Yvette asked.

  “The hospital.”

  “Meet us there,” Yvette ordered and flipped the phone shut.

  “Call Amaury. I’m calling Ricky.” Gabriel rushed out the door and back down to the car. As he jumped in, the call to Ricky connected.

  “Maya’s left the house.”

  “Shit, what happened?” Ricky’s concerned voice reached his ear.

  “She’s on her way to the hospital, probably to see her friends there. We need to find her and bring her back before the rogue gets her. Meet us there.”

  “Will do.” Ricky disconnected the call.

  “Amaury’s on his way too,” Yvette reported as she fell into the passenger seat.

  Gabriel hit the gas pedal and sped down the street. The limousine Carl normally drove wasn’t as fast as Samson’s Audi, but it had GPS and would help him get to Maya, hopefully before the rogue did.

  ***

  Maya’s heart raced as she pulled the Audi to a stop right in front of the hospital’s no-parking zone. For all she cared, they could tow Samson’s car—she didn’t have a second to lose. If her stalker had killed Paulette to silence her, Barbara would be next. If she hadn’t already been … She swallowed hard.

  How he could possibly know about Paulette and Barbara, she wasn’t sure. Unless, of course, she’d actually introduced her girlfriends to him. But then, wouldn’t he have merely wiped their memories too? Something didn’t make sense here.

  Was the rogue trying to send her a message? Was this revenge for not giving into his advances? Because she was even more convinced now that he had to be a spurned lover. No one else would spit the kind of hatred that had radiated from the bloody message in Paulette’s bedroom.

  It’s your fault, Maya.

  The words echoed in her mind like a broken record. Could she have saved Paulette? Had she only thought things through, she would have considered this danger right when Gabriel’s colleague Ricky had shown up and offered to help. Maybe he’d already talked to Paulette—she’d given him her contact info after all. Maybe he’d even led the stalker to her. How could she know?

  It didn’t matter. In the end, it was her responsibility to protect her friends. She should have gone with him and warned Paulette. Urged her to go someplace safe. But that night she’d gone into heat and her mind had been clouded. She’d only thought of herself then. And because of her selfishness her friend was dead. It was her fault.

  Maya swallowed the lump in her throat and rushed up the stairs to the ward. She knew Barbara was on service all week and would most likely be in the on-call room of her ward. As she reached the double doors that separated the public area of the hospital from the restricted part, she realized to her horror that she didn’t have her access card with her.

  She cursed and looked around her, but nobody was in sight. The clock in the corridor showed a few minutes past one o’clock—the regular staff would be long gone, and only the night shift would man the stations. Barbara’s ward wasn’t a critical care area, so staffing was thin and consisted mostly of a couple of nurses and one on-call doctor, Barbara herself. None of them were in sight.

  Maya pushed against the doors, but they didn’t budge. Through the glass windows she could see the button that allowed people to leave the area without using their access cards, but there was no way in. If she could get somebody to press the button for her, then she would be in luck, but there was no human around on whom she could try out her mind control skill. Not that it would have worked anyway—despite Thomas’ coaching. All she’d been able to influence was a chair and some glasses and bowls.

  She stopped her thoughts in their tracks. That was it! She just needed to move something and push the button with it. Maya spied through the window again and saw a metal chart in one of the holders on the wall. It would do. She concentrated her mind on the metal item and willed it to lift from its pocket on the wall. She watched with bated breath as the item moved and hung suspended in the air as if held by invisible strings.

  Maya didn’t dare breathe so she wouldn’t lose her concentration. A few seconds later, she managed to set the chart in motion, moving it toward the button. With her last ounce of will, she slammed the metal against the button, before it fell to the ground with a loud clang.

  As she looked at the chart on the floor, realization hit her: she could have easily just willed the button to depress without using the metal item. Clearly, she still had lots to learn about her new skill.

  The double doors opened, and she slipped through.

  Relieved, she ran down the hall to the small room where the on-call physician rested during the night. Barbara should be there unless she’d be
en called to a hospital bed.

  Maya pressed the door handle down and eased the door open, trying not to startle her friend. Soft light from a desk lamp greeted her. The on-call room was sparsely furnished: a desk and chair, a small cabinet, a sink, and a single bed. She let out a relieved breath when she saw Barbara in a peaceful slumber. Maya shut the door behind her, and Barbara stirred.

  A moment later, she shot up from her prone position and swung her legs out of bed, her eyes still closed. When she opened them and spotted Maya standing only a few feet away from her, Barbara jolted upright. “Shit, Maya!”

  “Sorry—” But Maya didn’t get any further.

  “Everybody’s looking for you. Where the hell have you been? The chief is pissed and so are the other attendings—they all had to pick up the slack for you.”

  Maya put her hand on Barbara’s arm. “I can’t explain right now. I need your help.”

  Barbara gave her a startled look. “Do you need money? What’s going on?”

  A strobe light blinked on the wall, and an instant later a voice came over the loudspeaker. “Code Blue, Code Blue, Room 748 Long, all team members, Code Blue, Code Blue.”

  Barbara grabbed Maya’s hand and squeezed it. “That’s me. I have to go. Wait here. I’ll be back shortly. We’ll talk when I’m back.”

  “No, I’m coming with you.”

  “Just wait. It won’t take long.”

  “No, it’s not safe. I’m coming with you.”

  Barbara gave her a curious look “Not safe?”

  “Please, let me come with you.”

  Her friend grabbed a white coat from the hook. “Here, at least put that on, so you won’t look out of place. And then you’d better talk fast.”

  Maya slipped into the coat and was right behind Barbara when she opened the door. A second later, she shut it again.

  “Shit, the Chief’s right out there. If he sees you, he’ll stop you.”

  Maya cursed. “Damn it!” This was just her bad luck.

  “I’ll be right back.”

  “No, wait!” But before Maya could stop her, she dashed out of the room. Her steps echoed in the corridor. Maya’s skin prickled uncomfortably. She didn’t want Barbara wandering the corridors on her own. Opening the door a tiny slit, she peered outside. The Chief was still standing there. There was no way she would get past him without him seeing her.

  Maya shut the door in frustration.

  She could only hope that Barbara knew about her stalker. Then this nightmare would be over soon. Once Maya knew his name and what he looked like, they could find him. She could tell Thomas, and he’d make sure the rogue was taken out. She didn’t want to think of talking to Gabriel. Not right now.

  Once the rogue was captured, she would be safe again and so would Barbara. Then she would tell her friend the truth, and together they’d bury Paulette. Somehow she would get her life back together, as much as she could with the guilt she carried on her shoulders. The guilt of knowing she was responsible for Paulette’s violent death.

  Twenty-two

  Gabriel turned a corner in the hospital and almost collided with Ricky. “Thank God! You got here really fast,” Gabriel said. Next to him, Yvette skidded to a halt as well.

  “You were lucky; I was in the neighborhood.”

  “Have you seen Thomas?”

  “No. Is he supposed to be here?” Ricky asked.

  Yvette nodded. “He should have arrived before all of us. He was coming straight from Twin Peaks.”

  “Let’s split up,” Gabriel suggested. “Use mind control if you need to get access anywhere you need to. We have to find her.”

  Ricky nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, we do. I’ll take the seventh floor.”

  “Yvette, take the fifth floor; that’s where one of her friends works—maybe she went there. I’ll take this one. If you don’t find her on your respective floors, move three floors higher.” Gabriel issued his orders with a calm he didn’t feel. What helped him was his experience—he knew how to track someone in a crisis situation. It was what he’d done for so long, and done well—Maya’s life depended on it now. There was only one handicap: the corridors of the hospital reeked of bleach. It stung his nostrils and impeded his ability to filter out Maya’s scent. His only consolation was that if the rogue was close, he’d have the same problem—it leveled the playing field.

  As Yvette and Ricky left, Gabriel stalked the corridors. He’d checked the directory on the way up for Maya’s office. If she was here, she would probably go there—either to hide out for a while or to retrieve whatever personal items she had there, maybe a spare key to her apartment or some money or credit cards. She hadn’t taken any of her things with her when she’d fled the house, not even her handbag.

  It was telling: no woman ever left the house without her handbag. It proved to him that Maya was in an extremely agitated state and would most likely act irrationally. He had to get to her before she put herself in even more danger than she already was. Besides, she hadn’t fed from him since before her outing in the Castro. She had to be famished, which would make her weak and less likely to think clearly.

  Gabriel reached Maya’s office suite and pressed the door handle down. The door didn’t move. No matter—with a forceful push against the lock, the wood splintered. He slid inside unseen. Four office doors presented themselves to him, each of them with the name of a doctor stenciled on it. He opened the door with Maya’s name without knocking. If she was there, she would have already heard him, and if she wasn’t, there was no point in knocking.

  The room was empty. He inhaled deeply and sniffed. There was a low lingering scent of her, but it wasn’t new. She hadn’t been in her office in days. His heart sank.

  With a sigh, he dialed Thomas’ number. He answered instantly.

  “Where are you?” Gabriel asked.

  “Seventh floor.”

  “Go further up—Ricky is already covering that floor. I’ll do another quick sweep of the sixth and then move higher. Yvette is on thefifth.”

  “Sure,” Thomas answered. A split-second later, Gabriel heard a distant scream come through the line.

  Shock coursed through his system. “Was that Maya?”

  “Don’t know.” The line went dead.

  “Shit!” Gabriel ran out into the hall. He spotted the sign for the stairs and rushed to them, then took three steps at a time. With vampire speed, he ran up to the next floor before he slowed down again trying to get his bearings. He sniffed again. The scent of blood assaulted him. He ran toward it.

  As he turned a corner, he saw a group of people gathering around a person on the floor. Gabriel zeroed in on the site. A pool of blood spread from underneath the person’s white doctor’s coat.

  A grip on his forearm made him spin to his right. “Thomas.”

  Thomas pulled him into a side corridor. “It’s not Maya. Some doctor—looks like cold-blooded murder to me.”

  “Did you see who it is?”

  “Her name is Dr. Barbara Silverstein.”

  Gabriel’s heart stopped as cold fear gripped him. “That’s Maya’s friend. Thomas, he’s here. The rogue is in the hospital.”

  ***

  Maya’s skin prickled. It had been too long since Code Blue was called. She was getting impatient, and she felt like a sitting duck waiting for Barbara in the on-call room. She needed to check on her.

  She listened for any sound from the corridor before she opened the door a fraction, then peered out. The bright hallway was empty now. Maya stepped outside and quietly closed the door behind her. Something compelled her to make no noise. She was grateful that she wore soft-soled shoes; they made no sound on the light-gray linoleum floor.

  Somewhere in the distance, a door opened. Maya moved along the corridor and dove into the next alcove that housed a small sink. She flattened herself against the wall when she heard footsteps coming toward her. Her eyes darted around her tiny hiding place, but there was nothing she could use as a weapon. She hoped whoe
ver came her way wasn’t an enemy and she wouldn’t have to try out her vampire skills.

  Other than using her fangs on Gabriel, she’d never truly used her new strength on anybody. She knew she had claws—she’d scratched Gabriel with them by accident that fateful night when she’d fed from him for the first time—and she hoped they would just appear the way her fangs did when she needed them.

  The footsteps approached and were almost upon her when a soft ping drifted to her ears. The person stopped in her tracks. “Darn,” the female voice grumbled under her breath.

  Maya recognized the ping as a call for the nurses’ station—one of the patients had pressed their call button. The nurse turned on her heels and walked in the other direction. Maya relaxed when she heard her enter a room and close the door behind her. She counted to three and emerged from her hiding place.

  Swiftly, she walked to the empty nurse’s station and looked around to make sure nobody saw her. Then she walked behind the counter and crouched down near the desk. She pulled the bottom drawer open and reached in. She knew that all nurses kept a couple of extra access cards hidden in their desks in case a doctor had forgotten theirs and needed to get somewhere before security could issue a new one.

  Luckily, this nurses’ station wasn’t any different. After opening a third drawer, she found a spare access card and shoved it into her jeans pocket. She needed to be able to get around the hospital unimpeded, and now she could.

  As she rose from her crouching position, the little hairs on the back of her neck stood. A shiver ran down her spine. She sniffed without making a sound. No human was in her vicinity. The faint scent she picked up could belong to a vampire, but she wasn’t sure—there was too much bleach scent in the vicinity.

  Maya darted around the desk and out of the nurses’ station. Her hands felt clammy, and her heart raced—signs that told her she had to get away. Her instinct for flight or fight was alive and well. Flight won out. She wasn’t stupid enough to try to fight a vampire who could be stronger than her, older and more experienced. Her advantage was that she knew the hospital—every corner, every supply room, and every shortcut. Whoever was on her trail didn’t know the place as well as she did—she hoped. This was her only chance.